“He asked me, ‘What are you doing out here?’ I told him I was
investigating a Bigfoot report and he said, ‘Wow, you’re a terrible
liar,’ ” said Mr. Marczenko. ” ‘I know it sounds crazy but I’m not lying
about it,’ I said. He kept telling me I was lying about the situation.”

The area was under police surveillance after nearby residents
complained about seeing groups of young men going into the forest armed with
shovels in weeks past. Three men were later arrested after several
marijuana plants were found deep in the woods. Their cover was to tell
the locals they were searching for Bigfoot.

Last August, Mr. Marczenko said he was on assignment for the Ontario
Wildlife Field Research investigation into numerous reports of
Bigfoot-sized tracks in the Township of Brockton.

After spending more than two hours in the bush and no sign of the
creature, Mr. Marczenko decided to call it a day. He started to drive away from
the site in his rental car but a police SUV emerged from the woods and
blocked his exit. Mr. Marczenko alleges Const. Robert Aukema put him
under arrest for possession of a controlled substance even though a
search of his clothes, bags and car produced nothing.

“He was very aggressive, very rude. He didn’t listen to anything I
said, everything was a non-answer and it went on like this,” he said.

In the end, Mr. Marczenko was released without being charged and
handed a $70 ticket for trespassing and a warning not to return to
the Durham Region.

An internal investigation by the Durham Regional Police Service found
no wrong doing by Const. Aukema. A police spokesperson declined to
comment as the matter is currently under review by the Independent
Police Review Director.

Despite his run in with police he still wants to continue his search for the creature.

“I could see how some people find it hard to believe,” said Mr.
Marczenko. “The reports are coming in every week… Someone has to go out
and take it seriously.”